Untangling sexual homicide: A proposal for a new classification of sexually motivated killings

Abstract

Purpose: The study aimed to develop an empirically driven checklist guiding clinicians in the decision-making process that would enable them to determine the functional role of the killing in a newly proposed classification of sexual homicides.Methods: Classical Test Theory, Exploratory Factor Analyses and Two-parameter item response theory were conducted on a sample of 361 male sexual killers assigned as either belonging to the direct or indirect group.Results: The results revealed that an eight-item checklist was the best empirical solution. The items included: sexual sadism; followed by the use of sexually related disinhibitors; stalking behaviours; the use of restraints; the presence post-mortem sexual activity; the presence of other sexual activities; an unusual interest following the murder; and the presence of biting were indicative of a direct sexual homicide.Conclusions: Using the direct/indirect typology automatically directs clinicians to consider how, and at what point in the timeline, the sexual element and the act of killing were related. This, allows to address any arising inconsistencies as well as minimise the risk of either assuming sexual motives in the killing in the indirect cases or not addressing management of sexual urges in the context of extreme violence for the direct cases.

Our love was a two-person game. At least until one of us died, and the other became a murderer: sexual homicide perpetrated by intimate partners

“…Female victims are more at risk in the context of pending estrangement, when they are trying to leave or have recently ended the relationship, increasing the likelihood of IPH of female victims by over two times (Spencer & Stith, 2020). Interestingly, meta-analyses also suggested that previous 6 use of non-fatal strangulation, homicide ideation and threats as well as stalking significantly increase the chances of assaults leading to homicide (Matias et al, 2020;Spencer & Stith, 2020) indicating that perhaps lethal acts might not have been as spontaneous as they appeared (Stefanska et al, 2020). Interestingly, Spencer and Stith (2020) also noted that the risk of homicide increased if the perpetrator forced sex on the victim.…”

After a storm comes a calm: International expert decision-making process regarding abstract definitions of emotional cool-off periods in sexual homicide

“…However, ignoring balanced sampling most likely affected the conclusions drawn. Stefanska et al 2020 highlighted that if the sample was over-represented by serial cases, the results might have indicated a higher prevalence of characteristics mainly related to serial offenders for example sadistic tendencies. The authors further argued that in depth analysis of non-serial offenders (or adhering to balanced sampling) is crucial as it would deliver much needed research-based evidence guiding professionals in their working practices.…”

“…It also often requires reliance on the perpetrator's disclosure which may not be accurate within forensic settings, especially when the person committed a violent attack. This issue has been highlighted in relation to determining sadism as the main source of sexual excitement (Nitschke et al, 2013) as well as assessing perpetrator's other emotional states, for example, anger (Stefanska et al, 2020). Marshall et al (2002) showed that imprecise diagnostic criteria, which allow for subjective assessment, impact on diagnostic reliability.…”

“…Although many researchers believe that premeditation is a prerequisite for defining serial homicide (Leistedt & Linkowski, 2010;Miller, 2014;Morton & McNamara, 2005), experts in the present study did not rely on this feature as much. This could be because both intent and planning are difficult to prove (Stefanska et al, 2020). Premeditation may vary from extensive pre-planning of the intended crime scene, to as little as directly prior to the offence.…”

“…While new research investigating various aspects of sexual homicide emerging recently has broadened our knowledge regarding such offences (Stefanska et al, 2020), a thorough review of these issues is beyond the scope of this manuscript. Instead, we will examine aspects most relevant to emotional cool-off.…”